Fan Corner

This section is for fans that attend the WWRY NZ show that wish to do a review on the event or contribute to this sites community in some way.

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Let's start.....

Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007
WWRY New Zealand: Fran's WWRY migsperience
by aka Frannigan
(Member of Queen Online WWRY forum)

Well…. Where do I start? I’m not great at reviews and this being my first NZ performance (& only my second WWRY show) I’m definitely not going to pick up on the tiny mistakes etc. Another thing to note is that the only show I actually have to compare with is the London cast (ie Peter, Jenna, Mazz etc) but I actually think it’s good to compare to that lot because they are absolutely phenomenal.

So, first off here are a few quick thoughts on the main cast:

Malcolm Terrey (Pop): I liked this guy, I thought he did a pretty good job… it took a while for me to warm to him but overall I really enjoyed him and thought he really engaged with the audience.
Neels Clasen (Khashoggi): Acting wise, I enjoyed him, there were a few moments when he was singing and it sounded like it might have been slightly out of his range or something… I don’t know exactly what it was but there were a couple of moments (not major or anything) where he didn’t seem quite comfortable.
Annie Crummer (Killer Queen): What a phenomenal voice for such a tiny person!! This was the person I was worried about the most –only because she had to live up to Mazz who we all know is a complete legend and she generally didn’t disappoint me. At times her accent grated on me a (tiny) bit but everything else made up for it by far. Thought she was great –and it was nice to have a kiwi in the cast!!
Stephen Van Niekerk (Brit): I really enjoyed his performance! Loved his kung-fu bits, thought they were brilliant and I really liked his voice.
Carly Graeme (Oz): Another brilliant voice in this one. I thought at times her acting left a bit to be desired but as the show went on I thought she got a lot better and by the end I was really enjoying her.
Talia Kodesh (Scaramouche): It really pains me to say this, but I honestly think Talia was probably the weakest out of all of the principal cast. Her voice was nice, but at times I had some major problems with her comic timing, normally this may not be a problem but she is playing Scaramouche here and I don’t think she had the sarcasm bit down (regarding emphasis on particular words etc) sometimes you couldn’t even tell that what she was saying was sarcasm. Of course I am comparing her to Jenna Lee James and Hannah Jane Fox who were both fantastic so she had a lot to live up to and maybe I’m being a bit harsh, but this is just my personal opinion… also her accent went off 3 or 4 times.
Mig Ayesa (Galileo): Loved loved LOVED him! In all honesty his accent kinda bugged me at first… but it became quite endearing and just added to everything. I really loved what he did with Gaz, just his mannerisms and persona, just thought it was all brilliant. I loved his voice (more so than the queen songs he performed on Rockstar which I thought were kind of average) and I can’t really say anything that bad about him! 10/10 for Mr Ayesa! (plus I loved his impersonations during the ‘dancing queen’ segment!!)

Generally, I loved the show. The cast worked well together, the singing was great, the band were AMAZING –though they did sometimes overpower the voices. I loved the New Zealand references (Christchurch, Hayley Westernra, Crowded House Split Enz, Annie’s little maori bit etc). Lighting/set wise I thought it was just as good as London. I loved Mig & Talia’s bits running through the audience & jumping on the lion things near the stage –thought that was a lovely personal touch. Things I didn’t quite like were the constant referrals to Gazza as “Figgy”… it just reminds me of figs and I don’t like figs. When that Figgy line was first used it kinda fell flat on the audience and I honestly think Gazza would have worked better. The one gripe I had with the whole show was the audience!! I just didn’t feel like they got into it, New Zealanders can be quite stoic at times (except during sports games) so it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me. The second half was a lot better participation wise but there was still that something missing.

After the show I dragged my friend along to the stage door, we had to wait about half an hour before Mig appeared and what a lovely guy he is! Well worth the wait… didn’t walk about anything particularly interesting, just told him how much I enjoyed the show & that it had lived up to my expectations, then we talked about the London show a bit & names (I don’t know why! He just asked me if fran was short for frances which lead to a discussion about names haha) plus some other random things… as we were walking away he yelled at me to say hi to Peter & Jenna when I see them lol. Of course we got the obligatory photo & he seemed to shake our hands a fair few times & I got a lovely big hug at the end –what a sweetheart (and he smells really good lmao). I can’t say anything but lovely things about the guy –he was really easy to talk to (maybe too easy!!) and made you feel really comfortable, my friend, bless her, got a bit shy and he was sooo nice and sweet & asked her if she wanted a photo etc. Another thing I noticed –and it may sound weird but when you spoke to him he looked you right in the eyes and gave you his utmost attention which I really appreciated.

I would LOVE to go see the show again… just a matinee in the cheap seats –I had a look on the website & have seen that Sunday 2/12 still has cheap matinee seats available but unfortunately I don’t have anyone to go with and transport is a bit of an issue so I can’t see it happening which makes me really sad

But I had an amazing time, and I know I will be seeing it again, whether it’s here in a couple of weeks or in London next year!! Here are a couple of photos from the night, enjoy!

PLUS all the other day time ones of the civic are on my myspace if you haven't seen them.
http://www.myspace.com/mcfrannigan


Picture 1: Mig & aka Frannigan	Picture 2: The Civic at night	Picture 3: aka Frannigan outside the civic

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007
WWRY Official Opening Night Sat 27th Oct Civic Theatre Auckland (Part 1 of 3)
by aka khashoggi's babe
(Member of Queen Online WWRY forum)


Picture 1:Ross Girven & aka khashoggi's Babe	Picture 2: Diani Joubert, Shelley Adriaanzen & Francois Theron & aka khashoggi's Babe	Picture 3: Neels Clasen & aka khashoggi's Babe


Picture 4: Mig Ayesa and aka Muffin Gal	Picture 5: Annie Crummer and aka Muffin Gal	Picture 6: Neels Clasen & Stephen Van Niekerk with the stalkers

Well just what to say about this show? I’ve been going over it in my mind & have decided to make a few provisos upfront.

One-I have only the Sydney production to compare to so any changes in the script will refer solely to those shows. After 25 shows in Sydney I was able to pick up on the differences pretty quickly.

Two-Let’s be honest here-I’m biased. As far as I’m concerned no one can touch our Oz cast & it was with this view that I went to see the first show in Auckland with only our Queen Annie remaining from my dream cast. Don’t get me wrong-I expected the show to be good-it’s WWRY for God’s sake. But I have to confess to having quite a few of my preconceptions well & truly shattered by the predominately South African cast.

So let’s set the scene: Muffin Gal & I are tiki touring around Auckland city a few hours before the big premiere & happen to wander by the Civic Theatre just before that afternoon’s matinee was finished. We decided it would be a good idea to pick up our tix then & check out the merchandise. In the foyer we noticed a sign about the opening night party being held downstairs in the Wintergarden room & joked about how we’re going to crash it! So we spent up & got programs & continued on our merry way doing the whole touristy thing. We’re sitting in Denny’s restaurant a few blocks from the theatre having dinner with the lovely friends who offered us a roof over our heads & decide to have a read through the program. Well whose name should we see mentioned there? None other than our own Khashoggi, Ross Girven, who was listed as the resident director. Well my pulse rate went up at the prospect of catching up with Ross again (hey I am Khashoggi’s babe after all), so we set off for the theatre with mounting anticipation. And that would be when the heavens opened up & pretty much stayed open for the rest of the night.

The Civic Theatre is beautiful. Anyone familiar with the Capitol Theatre in Sydney would have an idea what it’s like. Gorgeous art deco décor & a painted ceiling to boot. Very very pretty. For the premiere they rolled out the red carpet & lit 2 blazing torches either side of the door. It was very effective. But no Freddie statue to be seen. And where are the photos you ask? To get a good shot meant crossing to the other side of Queen St & everytime we set foot outside the theatre the rain came pelting down. So apologies for missing that one but we couldn’t sit in front of our Queen looking like 2 bedraggled cats. Needless to say this was a sell out show. And there we were right in the front row stage right.

And then it started…that familiar overture when you know in your mind you’re about to witness the best musical on the planet & your heart starts racing. Now I won’t go through the whole show scene by scene. You guys know the show. All I’ll do is note the differences. We’ll start with the script.

The first one I noticed were the changes to the opening historical points on the starfield. Now Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Christina Aguliera & Aerosmith were mentioned. The Gaga police dancing in the background as Galileo sang “I Want To Break Free” were missing. Mig was alone on stage for this whole song. He also had an actual notebook, not a laptop, that Scara finds at the start of “Somebody To Love”. No hospital gowns for “Under Pressure”, just head bandages. Oz’s classic line “Yeah but I’m a great root” was missing. There were new lines for Khashoggi during Galileo’s interrogation-Split Enz & everybody Kung fu fighting were in there. There were new characters in the Heartbreak Hotel. I can’t remember them all but Bruce Springsteen, Crowded House, Pink, Sting, Madonna & Cyndi Lauper were mentioned. And Whispering Jack had become Saint Bono. Brit’s great line about marrying anybody who challenged him was gone (perhaps they were afraid another James would stop the show again with that one!) The car used in “Who Wants To Live Forever” was a bit different to the Sydney one. The Gold Coast was replaced by Christchurch. And this one you gotta love- not just the opening verse of “Fat Bottomed Girls” but the whole song!!!! Way to rock Annie!!!! Target became Hallensteins. The Flying Doctors became Shortland Street. And the Seven Seas of Rhye moved to Vegas. Scara tells Galileo he couldn’t even make it into INXS (ouch!) (But Mig’s idea I’m told). Scara wears plain knickers for her guitar solo. And Khashoggi seems to apologise to Oz & Galileo at the start of “We Will Rock You”. I’m sure there were other changes but those are the ones that I remember best.

Well that’s not exactly true. Let’s discuss the one change I can’t deal with. And after discussing it with the cast, crew & even the band they can’t deal with it either. Galileo is no longer Gazza. He is now…Figgy!!! It’s truly, truly awful. Apparently it’s from the Canadian production but let’s give the Kiwis some credit. I think they can work out where Gazza comes from. To hear “Figgy” all through the show is just dreadful. So register your displeasure with this here & let’s see if we can’t get it changed to its rightful name for everybody’s sake. Mig doesn’t look like a Figgy!!!

So onto the new cast. I don’t need to review Annie’s performance for you do I? We all know how incredibly talented the woman is & superlatives seem inadequate somehow. Suffice to say she rocks them dead in front of a very appreciative home crowd. Love the extra verse of “Fat Bottomed Girls”. I know I already said that but worth repeating. We are your loyal subjects forever Annie.

I’d heard a lot about Mig’s performances in the London production but apart from a bad quality copy of the Dominion show (don’t ask where that came from) I didn’t really know what to expect. The boy is good! Very very good!! He puts his heart & soul into every performance & ad libs a few lines each time. And let’s face it-he’s so damn cute you just want to put him in your pocket & take him home. The audience just lapped up his performance. He had that theatre rocking out so hard you probably all felt in here in Oz. A worthy Gazza-not Figgy!

The lovely Talia Kodesh as Scaramouche. Great voice & great stage presence. She had the angry young rebel down to a tee. As Pop says “balls broken”. She played really well opposite Mig & I loved her in the role. She also brought a vulnerability to Scara that I haven’t seen done before. She really is a very talented young actress.

Carly Graeme played Oz with a passion & drive that was awesome to see. Oz was so alive on stage, so deeply passionate & so deeply human. A great performance. And let’s not forget the lady can belt out the rock numbers or bring goosebumps to the skin with her rendition of “No One But You”. I really really liked her Oz.

So with Oz comes Brit. I never thought I’d say this but I think I’ve seen someone who can out-Brit Daniel Fletcher! Stephen John Van Niekerk is simply awesome as Brit, a view I know a lot of the audience shared as I mingled during intermission. His Brit is totally in your face, over the top & completely wonderful. Combined with Carly’s performance you get one of the great duos of the show. They had wonderful chemistry together. And did I mention he’s not at all hard on the eyes!!!

Malcolm Terrey’s Pop was outstanding. We all know Pop gets some of the best lines in the show & he relished delivering them with perfect comedic timing. The trio of Gazza (I refuse to call him Figgy), Scara & Pop were tremendous together. A wonderful little ensemble piece within the wider ensemble. Kudos to you Malcolm.

Notice how I’ve left Khashoggi for last? This is & always will be my favourite character so this was the performance I was most interested in seeing. I have to say my first thoughts were “what is this guy doing with Khashoggi?” But by the end of the 3rd show my thoughts were “I like what this guy is doing with Khashoggi!” Neels Clasen gives Khashoggi a more human feel. The sunnies come off more often revealing the man behind them. He doesn’t seem quite so arrogant or menacing as I’m used to seeing. In fact he seems a little unsure of himself which is just so un-Khashoggi like that it took me a while to adjust. But the man can act & he can sing (“It’s A Kind Of Magic” with Annie was just that). And he moves around that stage pretty damn well for “Seven Seas Of Rhye”.Being a honey doesn’t hurt the cause either. And does he ever rock out in Bo Rap (so much so he strained his back at the matinee on Sunday). It’s obvious he’s loving the role. If there had to be a successor to the awesome Mr Girven I think we’ve found the right one.

Which brings us to the ensemble & that comment in the NZ Herald review by Shannon Huse. Now I don’t know what dancers she was watching that night but clearly a different group to the ones I saw. “Clunky”???? Oh Please! These guys were awesome-I’m quite sure the human body isn’t designed to bend in the ways these guys manage to make it bend. So ignore silly reviewers guys. It’s the fans’ opinions that matter as we are the ones who buy the tickets. And I thought you were (in Pop’s own inimitable words) unfreakingbelievable!!!

This reviewer mentioned problems with the sound levels. And she was right. At times the music did drown out the performers’ voices. But this is a show that was put together in about 2 weeks & not all the bugs have been ironed out yet. The following two shows the next day continued to improve on this technical glitch & I’m sure within a week or two it won’t even be an issue at all.

And let's not forget the band under the guidance of the very able Bryan Schimmel. We have the lead guitarist out on stage for Bo Rap & the whole show just thumps along with mighty chords & lilting pianos. it's clear the band loves to play Queen's music.

So to all you Kiwis out there & anyone else who has the opportunity to travel & see this show. Do it!!! You won’t be disappointed. I suspect, like myself, you’ll be very pleasantly surprised by the depth of talent showcased by this ensemble. Hell I’m even considering Trans-Tasmaning it again in December for another round of shows. It’s simply that good people. So show your support for the next generation of bohemians & rock on out with a stellar cast in Auckland.

We’ll get around to how we were “invited” to the opening night party & reviewing the next two shows very soon.

And there will be pics people. I just have to do a little work with those so please a little patience on that front. Hope to have them loaded very soon.

This review was written and kindly permitted for our use on this site by aka khashoggi's babe from the Queen Online WWRY official forums. (reference: http://wwry.queenonline.com/viewtopic.php?t=23706)
Aussie Queens would like to thank Khashoggi's babe for this contribution to our community and site

Posted: Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007
WWRY Official Opening Night Sat 27th Oct Civic Theatre Auckland (Part 2 of 3)
by aka khashoggi's babe

So the official premiere has finished & Muffin Gal & I do our usual bolt around to the stage door hoping to say hi to Ross & Annie who have no idea that we are even in the country. But the party downstairs means the cast is not leaving the theatre but going straight downstairs. So after a fruitless hour of waiting a security guard asks us just what the hell we’re doing. We tell him we’re hoping to say hi to some old friends. He suggests we wait in the theatre foyer & he’ll try to get them to come up & say hi to us (yeah right!)

So another half hour passes & we’re just about to give up & try for Sunday when a lady approaches us in the foyer & asks if we’re waiting for the cast. She then proceeds to drag us into a corner of the theatre where she offers us 2 tix to the cast party going on downstairs!!!! Now I have no idea who this woman was but I have some theories. An angel of light comes to mind. Or perhaps she was the patron saint of those who have rocked. But if you’re reading this-we love you!!!! She told us to wait a few minutes before approaching the security guy on the door. So we stand in the foyer with these tix in our hands wondering if we’ll get away with this. But what’s the worst that can happen? We get bounced from the theatre? Ross finally takes out that long overdue restraining order? We get deported back to Oz? So with nothing to lose we march on up to the guy on the door & flash the tix not really expecting this to work. He asked us if we’d been to that night’s show (yeah baby-front row) & then we were walking down the stairs casually & calmly just like we owned the place but all the while expecting to be crash tackled by a dozen burly ex-all blacks.

But that didn’t happen. We were in. We were in a state of shock but we were in. The first thing we did was find Annie which wasn’t difficult. Look for people being hugged & you will find Annie Crummer. And we did. And when she saw us she just screamed & threw her arms around us. For those who haven’t met Annie-she’s a hugger. She could not believe we were there & had just seen the show. But I reminded her what we promised after the final Sydney show-if the show went to NZ we would be there. More hugs & kisses ensued & she told us to go & find Ross. I’m always up for that suggestion. “He’s wearing a white shirt somewhere in the room”. Good tip since black seemed to be the colour of choice for this party. So we set off in search of Ross, every moment expecting someone to ask us just who the hell we were. There were 200-300 guests at this party (don’t know what the criteria was to score an invite but I think 25 Aussie shows should at least put you into contention). Anyway we finally spotted Ross in a corner of the room chatting to the company manager. The look on his face was priceless-at least he didn’t scream for security! Lots of hugs & kisses ensued & we had a brief chat before he had to go talk to some other people. He did mention his disappointment at not being involved with the show. I think he would really have liked the opportunity to play Khashoggi in front of his home town of Auckland. But they offered him the resident directors job & he took it. Said he was enjoying the new challenges the job offered & at least he was involved with the show in some way. And to say a big hello to all the Aussie board members-as did Annie. Oh & I introduced him to the newest member of the WWRY family-the WWRY bear (they were selling little WWRY teddy bears so I just had to get one). Ross quickly named it Khashi bear. And there is a pic somewhere of the new Khashoggi & the bear-gotta get those pics up soon.

The party was rocking by then. There was a DJ & a dance floor & almost everybody seemed to be on it. We couldn’t see Mig anywhere but found Ross at the bar (no comment) & he started introducing us to people as the Oz fans who’d seen 20+ shows which no one seemed quite able to believe. We must have talked to some radio DJ without realising it because while we were rocking out next day this lady was on the radio talking about the opening night & saying that if 2 Aussie girls could see the show 20 times in their country then every Kiwi should be able to manage at least one show. The friends we were staying with heard this & just groaned & hung their heads in embarrassment-they knew exactly who she was referring to.

Getting back to the party-suddenly cast members started appearing & thanking us for rocking out so much in the front row. Said it made them feel really good. These guys were thanking us??? We were thanking them & telling them the story of our unhealthy addiction to this show. Next we’re being dragged around the room to meet the leads! These people want to meet us??? It must be a South African thing-taking pity on the mentally unhinged. Well next we were getting photos & chatting away to everybody & having a hell of a good time!

Let me just say for the record the SA cast are lovely,lovely people. Very gracious & accommodating (not to mention extremely cute!) We were even warned by the show’s producer to keep our hands off Stephen (Brit) as she had dibs on him! We met Talia, Neels, Stephen, Carly, Helen Desbois, Shelley Adriaanzen, Diani Joubert & Francois Theron. Just lovely people who were even more surprised when we told them we’d be seeing both shows the next day, sitting in the front row as always. They were very keen to get our opinion on the show. Did we have to lie to these people? I think not. We told them we loved it & couldn’t wait to see it again. We tried to sound sane I promise but it’s hard to maintain a sane discussion about WWRY. Especially when you’re us!

We decided we’d better call it a night. Big day ahead & we didn’t want to outstay our welcome so we made our goodbyes. Couldn’t find Ross to say goodnight so a little disappointed made our way back up the stairs & out the front door of the theatre. And who do we find out in the middle of Queen St? Most of the cast watching Ross direct Stephen on the best way to do the arm muscle kissing scene. Not what you’d expect to see in downtown Auckland in the wee hours of the morning but we enjoyed it!!! Nice…

To be continued in the Adventures of Khashoggi’s Babe & Muffin Gal meet the South Africans…

This review was written and kindly permitted for our use on this site by aka khashoggi's babe from the Queen Online WWRY official forums. (reference: http://wwry.queenonline.com/viewtopic.php?t=23706)
Aussie Queens would like to thank Khashoggi's babe for this contribution to our community and site

Posted: Tue 04 Nov, 2007
WWRY Official Opening Night Sat 27th Oct Civic Theatre Auckland (Part 3 of 3)
by aka khashoggi's babe

Well we set off for the theatre late Sunday morning still on a high from the previous night & hoping we would be seeing the full cast perform (Sundays in Sydney often meant understudys for some of the leads).

We decided not to hit the stage door before the first show just in cast we scared the cast too much. Thought they should have a small break from our insanity. So we were back in the front row again, more towards the centre this time. And then we were off!

This was actually a tighter show than the previous night's performance. All the leads were there & considering the theatre was only about three quarters full the audience was right into it. The sound problems had improved (as we were told they would). And it was very obvious that this cast was loving performing for us. Everybody just gave it everything they had & the audience went right along for the ride. I heard many people during intermission talking about seeing it again (hmm sounds kinda familiar).

And then suddenly we were Bo Rapping & it was over. The show just flew by for us, possibly because we knew this was our last day to be seeing it (or will it be for me?). Then we were off to the stage door. Weren't sure we would actually see any of the cast as there is only a one hour break between shows on the Sunday. I thought this was pretty rough on the guys-it's not exactly a non-physical show-but later discovered this was the cast's choice so they could have an early night.

We caught up with Ross first who was very keen to know what we thought (excellent but of course) & a few more of the guys wandered out for a quick break. And then we got to meet Mig (didn't see him at the party Saturday night). I was very curious to meet him as I'd read a lot on the London board & I can tell you he doesn't disappoint. A lovely guy, very sweet & obliging to the fans. Also quite the camera buff as he grabbed MG's camera & proceeded to adjust the settings so we would get the best shots. And then we were chatting to poor Neels who had strained his back head banging at the end of the show & there was some concern over whether he would be fit to go back on stage. (He was fortunately). And then we were on our way back for the final one.

The evening was a sell out performance-the theatre was packed & there was a great atmosphere amongst the crowd. And we were slap bang in the middle of the front row for our final show. And we were off again!

Another very tight show with continuing improvements to the sound (I'm sure this is no longer even an issue). Little Khashi bear was rocking so hard I was afraid his head might come off! And then it was over-just like that-what the hell happened? How could the show go by so fast??? NOOOOOO!!!! I want more!!!

And then we were back at the door saying goodbye to the cast, getting pics & programs signed (& all the while my little brain is formulating a plan to come back in December). And then they were all gone & we were left sitting outside the door not wanting it to be over. We hadn't seen Ross that evening & I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye-it had two & a half years since I last saw him & I didn't know when we'd catch up again. So we sat & waited..& waited. Eventually we concluded that we must have missed him while chatting to the rest of the cast & called for our ride home. And then he walked out an hour later with Bryan Schimmel the musical director. They'd been having a meeting. He told us we were insane to wait around for him & he was reasonably sure I would be back again ("I know you"). He asked us what we thought & he told us he wished he could have had those two shows the previous night.
And then our ride arrived & it was all over.

What a weekend. Anyone out there who has the opportunity to see this amazing production just has to do it. You won't be disappointed I guarantee.

As I write this I realise the Sunday matinee is on stage right now. Knock 'em dead guys!

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